Love and Chemistry
by G'reth the Air Dragon
Summary: /Gift-fic/ Mordin is working on a new experiment, and one person wants to spend some time with him in the lab.  FLUFF ! MordinxOC


**Hi everyone~! Yup, this is another little Mass Effect story, and it most certainly isn't gonna be the last. XD**

**Anyway, this little plot bunny was inspired by one of my friends, who was having a creative dry-spell on what to draw. So, I thought of her batarian character Abiona and Mordin, since she likes those two, and suggested something cute. She loved it~! :D *coughs* After we started talking a little, she wanted me to write a little fluff story involving these two characters, and I accepted. It's good practice, ya know? XD**

**Garrus: You just want an excuse to write fluffy scenes.**

**Me: Oh hush and just do the dang disclaimer please. BC**

**Garrus: G'reth the Air Dragon does not own Mass Effect, she only owns the plot. Abiona, the female batarian in the story, belongs to her friend on DeviantArt.**

**Me: Enjoy~! And...consider this a very late Valentine's Day gift. ^^; Please review and let me know how I did with Mordin! Writing salarian speech-patterns is not as easy as it sounds. -.-**

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><p>It was a routine day on the <em>Normandy<em>, many of the crew members simply doing their jobs or taking short breaks. Even the usual ruckus that was normally caused by three young girls didn't happen, as if something finally managed to click in their minds to _not_ do something crazy or wild that'd end up giving Commander Shepard a headache in the end.

Of course, everyone knew that it was inevitable…it was just a matter of _when_ they'd strike.

This, however, was the furthest thing from her mind as Abiona stood in the elevator, ignoring the music as the painfully slow transport moved towards the second floor. She was thinking about the salarian scientist that was currently holed up in the lab and wondering what they'd talk about today.

She blushed a little as she remembered the first time she met him, and the following meetings after that. The two got along rather well, often discussing art or just simply enjoying each other's company. The batarian female found herself more at ease around him, feeling as though she could connect with him on a different level than she could with anyone else.

A quiet '_ding_' announced her arrival on the second floor, the doors opening out into the bridge where humans were walking around doing their work, a female human named Kelly Chambers was standing near the galaxy map working on a computer console. Kelly nodded a greeting to her before Abiona turned and disappeared through the door leading towards the labs.

"Ah, Abiona, just in time," came Mordin's voice as soon as she entered, his eyes glancing up at her for a split second before they turned back towards the beaker in his hand. "Was mixing chemicals. Trying to come up with a growth formula for vegetation, stimulate them to producing larger quantities and sizes of fruit and vegetables. Should help solve famine problem plaguing many parts of the galaxy. Just need right combination."

She smiled at him in amusement, finding the way he spoke to be quite endearing. "That'd help a lot of people if it works," she told him as she moved closer, adjusting her hood slightly. "How long have you been at it?"

"Approximately seven hours," he told her, reaching for a blue tinted chemical and adding some drops to the beaker in his hand. "Feel that I am close. Still, much testing needed."

With a small nod, she watched as he continued adding chemicals, muttering to himself as he typed a few notes on his console and looked through his selection again. At one point she moved to stand next to him, fetching whatever he needed and simply observing him work.

This was how their meetings usually went, and both were rather content with it. Even Commander Shepard seemed to know when the two were in the same room and stayed out, knowing that the two liked to be alone together.

Finally, he reached a point where he declared he needed to add just one more drop to complete his formula. "Careful," he said, his hand hovering over the beaker with a dropper squeezing a tiny red drop of liquid at the end. "Carefully."

She held her breath, not wanting to mess up his concentration. Her eyes trailed the drop as it fell from the dropper, time seeming to slow down around it. In her eyes, it formed a strange shape that she thought she had imagined.

_PWOOF!_

"_Yeek!_" she squeaked in surprise at the sudden cloud that exploded out of the beaker, the smoke a strange pink color. Her surprise, however, gave way to awe as she watched the cloud slowly change its shape into one that she had often seen the girls drawing.

A heart.

"Strange," Mordin blinked in surprise, the confusion clear in his voice and on his face as he looked back at his notes and the heart-shaped cloud. "Never known any chemicals to produce such an effect. Must of added too much hydrochloric acid…"

The batarian, however, felt that there was much more to it than that. She couldn't stop the smile that graced her lips, revealing slightly blunted teeth as she looked at him. Before she knew it, she had moved over and hugged him from behind. Mordin paused in his note-searching for a moment and turned to look at her in confusion, blinking as he asked, "Abiona?"

She looked up at him with soft eyes, giving him a genuine smile. "Just wanted to say…thank you," she told him softly. "I've never felt this comfortable around anyone else save you and the girls…you're the best thing that's ever happened to me ever since I was freed from that institution."

He seemed surprised for a moment, his eyes slowly growing softer in understanding. "Well then…I'm glad to of been of service to you," he said gently. "It has been interesting to spend time with you. Glad to have gotten a chance to know you."

Abiona blushed a little, but she didn't activate her tactical cloak like she normally did when embarrassed nor did she back away. Instead, she rested her head on his shoulder and looked at the beaker in his hand. "It's very beautiful," she smiled. "Like art."

Mordin looked at the cloud once more, his mind processing what she had said. It was odd that it had happened, but he had to admit, it was rather beautiful. "I suppose it is," he nodded back, reaching up with his free hand to touch one of her own. "If memory serves right, it symbolizes a human icon of affection. Commonly seen around a human custom."

"Yes…a heart."

He hummed for a moment, but he didn't say anything. Instead, they just stood there admiring the smoke cloud, wrapped in each other's embrace. Finally, Mordin looked at her and said, "Happy Valentine's Day, Abiona."

She gave a full-blown blush this time, ducking her head to avoid eye contact. Still, she did not run away or hide. Then, in a tiny voice, she said, "Happy Valentine's Day, Mordin…"

'_I love you_.'

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><p><strong>Well, there ya have it folks. And if you're a chemistry nut out there, please do not hold me to that "hydrochloric acid" thing, as it was the first chemical that came to mind while typing this. If you have a better suggestion though, it's be greatly appreciated. :3 And...sorry if Mordin sounded a little OOC, but hey, even he can love someone if he gives them a chance. =w=<strong>

**You know the drill~! Reading and Reviewing helps us authors improve! ;D**


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